Cabinets and other similar small, enclosed storage units are very widespread in use because of their convenience, protective features, aesthetic appeal, and versatility. Such small, shelved units provided with doors can feature various styles such as wall-hanging, floor-mounted, specialty corner units and the like.
One prevailing issue with such storage units which only provide access along one (1) side is that of reaching particular stored items. When cabinets and the like are loaded from the door, the items that are stored in the back can only be accessed by rooting through all of the items in the front. Additionally, some corners and the backs of particularly high shelves may become nearly entirely inaccessible due to the closed nature of the storage. This results in increased time of use and a decrease in the available usable storage space provided by the storage units.
Various attempts have been made to provide storage units with increased and easier access and storage. Examples of these attempts can be seen by reference to several U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,645, issued in the name of Tisbo et al., describes a portable storage console for storing a plurality of items. The Tisbo apparatus has shelving units which extended fully on rollers to provide a user with full access to the stored items.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,908,000, issued in the name of Craft et al., describes a multi-tiered corner shelving unit. The Craft apparatus provides rotating platforms for each shelving level in order to allow the user rotating access to the contents of the corner shelving unit.
Additionally, ornamental designs for a rotating shelf exist, particularly U.S. Patent Nos. D 493,311. However, none of these designs are similar to the present invention.
While these apparatuses fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffer from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Many such apparatuses do not provide increased storage for all styles of shelving and cabinets, including corner units. Also, many such apparatuses do not provide physical stable support for dense or heavy item storage, such as may be desired in a kitchen setting or the like. Furthermore, many such apparatuses are not suitable for cabinets or cannot be installed into existing cabinets and the like. Accordingly, there exists a need for a storage unit with increased storage capacity and ease of access without the disadvantages as described above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.